Body of newborn infant found floating in river

The body of a newborn baby of undetermined gender was found floating in a river in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, police said Friday.

According to police, the infant, with its umbilical cord still attached, was found floating face down in the shallows of the Kaname River by a man jogging at around 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Fuji TV reported.

The infant was naked and there were no visible signs of injury.

Police said they are examining nearby surveillance camera footage to try and identify who abandoned the child.

Dec. 15, 2018
08:23 am JST

Dec. 15, 2018
08:35 am JST

There are other alternatives than tossing your kid in the river, you could have abandoned him at a hospital or some other place where he or she had a chance

They don't know where the baby came from, who the mother is, or how this came to be. So how have you come to the determination that it was one of the parents who did this, and that they just 'tossed' the baby into the water, and that it wasn't one of the infinite number of other possibilities?

Dec. 15, 2018
09:12 am JST

Poor mother. The baby hadn’t had a life yet. Could of been still born. We don’t know. But she must be in extreme stress and depression. I hope she can get help. This is why medical termination should be offered to all women.

Dec. 15, 2018
09:17 am JST

Articles like these really get to me, not only as a parent, but as a human being. What kind of person (if you call the guilty party that) does that sort of thing. They don't deserve to be called humans. This really goes beyond heart-breaking. Just beyond belief. RIP little man. You are the innocent one and deserved much better.

Dec. 15, 2018
10:24 am JST

Dec. 15, 2018
10:30 am JST

They don't know where the baby came from, who the mother is, or how this came to be. So how have you come to the determination that it was one of the parents who did this, and that they just 'tossed' the baby into the water, and that it wasn't one of the infinite number of other possibilities?

Dec. 15, 2018
10:55 am JST

Tossed out like the trash. As sad as it may sound, it was probably a better choice than for the baby to grow up in an environment where it was not wanted. Of course, surrendering the baby and adoption is always an option. It will be another, “the baby was stillborn and I panicked” scenario resulting in a suspended sentence for outright murder.

Dec. 15, 2018
01:51 pm JST

Dec. 15, 2018
02:57 pm JST

The dark side of Japan. Ruthless. To carry a child and deliver that child to be tossed in river with absolutely no choice what so ever to die. Boils my blood. Murder 1. If this Mother is dicovered. I have no sympathy for what is to become of her. Heart breaking and mortal sin.

Dec. 15, 2018
03:14 pm JST

Dec. 15, 2018
03:49 pm JST

@Hello Kitty 321.

Do you know how many cases we have seen like this just this year alone? Then look back on cases just like this over the last ten years? Some cases reported and some cases I am sure that fell through the cracks? To many cases where newborns where left to die out the womb. Distressing and disturbing numbers.

A staggering number just from my personal recollection. Yes, I would agree with you 100% that this tragic loss of young life is an issue in other countries. But this is Japan. A modern country that lacks support for Mothers that feel they need to throw their babies out like garbage left to die. Japan can do better.

The head line of this story should read.

The unfortunate dark side of Japan as bodies of newborns infants found floating in rivers and trash bins increase. A disturbing and growing trend in Japan.

Now, Hello Kitty I will be the first to admit. I am not social expert on the topic. But it's been a hell of a lot of cases. And I consider it a very dark and disturbing problem that is increasing in Japan. You can disagree if you like. You are entitled to your opinion.

Dec. 15, 2018
04:22 pm JST

Do you know how many cases we have seen like this just this year alone? Then look back on cases just like this over the last ten years? Some cases reported and some cases I am sure that fell through the cracks? To many cases where newborns where left to die out the womb. Distressing and disturbing numbers.

Ok, but how exactly is this a 'dark side of Japan' thing, and not a 'dark side of humanity' thing?

Dec. 15, 2018
05:41 pm JST

@Strangerland

That’s why I wrote.

Yes, I would agree with you 100% that this tragic loss of young life is an issue in other countries.

But since this case and story does not mention other countries or humanity (Japan), it is a dark and disturbing matter in Japan. And it seems to be happening more frequently which is utterly heart breaking and, in my opinion, a mortal sin.

Dec. 17, 2018
07:28 am JST

It has been raining a bit - just waiting to find out how the baby found its way into the river. Who knows, it might even been a hospital that discarded medical waste, and not the mother at all - or a boyfriend, husband, etc. Sad of course that the baby died.